If Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has only begun to fight, let me be the first to offer “sincere” condolences to either Nikki Fried or Charlie Crist — the two contenders for the Democratic nomination to face off against the formidable incumbent in the Sunshine State’s 2022 gubernatorial election.
As reported by my RedState colleague Brandon Morse, DeSantis fired up the overpacked crowd of more than 5,000 at Turning Point USA’s 2022 Student Action Summit on Friday in Tampa. As Brandon put it:
No one sat while DeSantis walked up to the stage. It was all screaming, cheering, clapping, and even some jumping. The Governor of Florida commanded a presence in that room that few politicians get to experience, even at the height of their popularity.
It’s well deserved, to be sure. DeSantis has made himself both the hope of Americans looking for an escape from the authoritarianism of the left and, as a result, made himself public enemy number one to the Democrats. Naturally, this only increased his popularity with the right even more.
On Saturday, as reported by Daily Wire, DeSantis urged fired-up Florida Republicans to ready themselves for battle ahead of the November midterm election, pledging to the Sunshine Summit fundraising event’s Victory Dinner: “I’ve only begun to fight!”
DeSantis reminded the audience that, like the rest of America, Florida has faced considerable obstacles over the last few years, namely COVID, the Biden Border Crisis™, Critical Race Theory, gender ideology, inflation, and more.
Hilariously, DeSantis also got in a shot at President “Brandon.”
In times like these, it’s not enough to just be right on the issues. Because in times like these, there’s no substitute for courage. You got to have the courage of your convictions to be willing to stand up against the media. You got to have the courage to stand up against things like cancel culture. You got to have the courage to stand up to the woke mob. You got to have the courage to stand in the way of the Brandon administration.
Hell, now I’m on my feet as I write. [winking emoji]
As the debate continues over a potential “red wave” in November, DeSantis is among those who firmly believe things are lining up quite nicely for a Democrat beatdown.
Even people that are not Republicans, and even people that have been voting for Democrats … they see, in their own life, the effect of Biden’s policies. And so they are dissatisfied. And so we have an opportunity to build a massive coalition here in the state of Florida, and I think it’s there for the taking.
“But you got to be ready for battle,” DeSantis warned. “So put on the full armor of God.”
That’s when DeSantis went John Paul Jones, telling the already-cheering crowd:
We are just getting warmed up. I have only begun to fight. I’m standing my ground, walking the line all the way to the finish line, and I can tell you this: with your help, and everybody behind us, there is no doubt in my mind that come November, we are going to keep the state of Florida free.
Does any conservative in America believe DeSantis will fail to deliver exactly what he pledged?
Here’s a better question, given that the answer to the previous question is a foregone conclusion:
As Ron DeSantis continues to fire up crowds prior to the Florida gubernatorial election in November, is he also looking beyond Florida to a presidential run in 2024? One guy who thinks DeSantis will not only run and win the nomination is Elon Musk, who also believes DeSantis would easily defeat Biden in the general.
So, what does Trump think about a possible challenge from DeSantis? Trump being Trump, he claims he’s not the least bit concerned about a DeSantis run and that he would beat the Florida governor easily.
I don’t know if Ron is running, and I don’t ask him. It’s his prerogative. I think I would win.
While surveys more than two years prior to a presidential election are virtually meaningless, if current survey results continue, Trump might very well be surprised if DeSantis challenges him for the nomination.
Needless to say, at this point, only a fool would fail to believe that Trump will indeed announce his candidacy — perhaps sooner than later. Stranger things have happened, but bank on this one.
While you’re “banking,” also bank on a DeSantis challenge of Trump in 2024, making 2016 and 2020 look like Sunday school picnics.
A full-metal-jacket throwdown of epic proportions? Oh hell, yeah.